Made With Janus Brandy

Last weekend, I was down with a very bad cough and cold. As I prepared to reach for my trusty Benadryl for some relief, K suggested that brandy would make a better alternative.

I have had a bottle of Janus Brandy in my pantry for quite some time lying unopened – ever since the Janus Brandy event, and it was definitely more tempting to have a glass of brandy than a thimbleful of cough medicine.

So brandy it was. I waited for K to get me a glass, and waited, and waited and dozed off until he woke me up with this beauty.

This drink was so amazing and went so smoothly down my sore and aching throat, that I just had to share the recipe with you all.

Ingredients

• Tropicana (or any other brand) apple juice – one carton (single-portion)
• Cinnamon sticks – 2
• Star anise – 1 or 2 flowers
• Cardamom – 4 to 5 lightly smashed
• Brandy

Method

1. Heat the apple juice over a slow flame. Make sure it turns warm, but not hot.
2. Add the cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom, bit by bit, and keep stirring.
3. Lastly, add 1-2 thimblefulls of brandy (depending on how strong you want it). Stir and remove from fire.
4. Pour in glass and serve.

And that’s it. This is really a super-easy, and delicious drink you can make up for yourself.

Note: Not many people stock star anise at home. But if you are tempted to skip it, don’t. The flavor of the star anise lends a really magic touch to this drink. And yes, I woke up the next day with my throat and sinuses feeling much better.

Do you use brandy to soothe a bad throat? If so, do you have it raw, or mixed with something? If you have a recipe, do share in the comments below.

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